Ganguly expected to play at Bangalore

Kolkata: Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, recovering at his residence after being treated for an abscess on his left thigh, is expected to play the crucial last league match of the ongoing triangular series against Australia at Bangalore on November 12. "No final decision has been taken about Sourav's fitness but we are happy with the progress and we hope that he will be able to play the Bangalore tie," Dr Sukumar Mukherjee, who heads the 6-member medical board treating the Indian skipper said. He said that Ganguly would be examined by doctors on Sunday and then a decision taken accordingly.

Though Ganguly was not available for comment, a family source when contacted said that doctors had not yet given the final nod on his playing, but a decision was expected in a day or two. The medical board attending to Ganguly had earlier ruled him out of the November 6 match against New Zealand at Cuttack since the painful abscess, as a result of two mini surgical procedures in five days, had been described by doctors as 'bad' and would take time to heal. Dr Mukherjee said that stitches were being removed in a phased manner and it was expected that by Tuesday or Wednesday all of them would be removed.

The Indian captain was taking light walks in his palatial South Kolkata residence. Ganguly underwent the second mini surgical procedure on October 18 at a private nursing home here and was released last Sunday. Earlier, he had to sit out the second Test against New Zealand after the abscess was treated through a mini surgical procedure in Mohali on October 14. After the Cuttack match, India will have two league matches left - against Australia at Bangalore and against New Zealand at Hyderabad on November 15 before the final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 18.